Coupling



I. WAGNER COUPLING Sept. 16, 1930.

Filed Dec. 20, 1929 INVENTQR Iv' way we 7' ATTORNEYS WITNESSE C13 3mg?! Patented Sept. 16, 19 30 1 1v: WAGNER, OF LOUISIANA, MIs'soURI-w con-mine V Applicationfileti beceniber 2'0, 19'2'9. Seriai'fie; 4123565.

invention" relates to couplings, and more" particularly to couplings-for rail Oints, and it consists in the}crnbinatibns; arrange mentsancl constructions-herein described and Asiswell-known to those familiar with" railroacloperation, the joints between rails often becbme lbose clue to vibrations caused by passingitrainsfet'cq, thereby subjecting lo'thej passengers and crews of said trains and others. togpbssible lose of life and serious injury. It is; th'erefbi'eya primary object of myinv en'tion ti) preiiide a coupling for use on railroads i that-Will not becomel o'osened by izi-brational anfche'therifcrc'es exerted on said eeu lin and'that' will mlaintain said rail ,joint"imtightfiked positibn; a p

further'ojbject' of my invention is topr'o Videf a device oft'hetype described which;

theugh maintai ed in clo s'efiizecl relaticn rel= 1 ativeto" the rails when fastened: thereto, may

Another object of my invention is to: pin

nevertheless be re moved by a"sim'pleop'era-" vicle a deyiee cf the; type described which is adapted for 'use With the conventional form's offasteners', suchasnuts, and belts, in o'rdi-- nary useontraili'oa'ds.

to provide a device of the type described which is simple in' construction, has" few parts, and cl0es n0t getc'ut of crde'rfeasily;

I Other objects and advantagesjwill appear. as the specification proceeds and'the in'vens tionwilfbe more particularlydefined' in the appended claims.

y. Vi l str ed. n he ac a yingdmwings ferming'partof this specificatiOn, in wv'hidisin use cnarail olnt'. H v v t Fig; 2 sectional detail viewcf a' por ticn cf t'he' device;

Fig; 3{ Figz25- v V 4 Figifi is 'a perspectiveidetail View of a pertiorro'i'the device.

In. carrying but my inventicn, oi the abutting; rai'l members 1- and 2. which itis desired" te secure*in-"ceupled relation.

A still further object Ore-1y invention is is a secticnalt iiewf on: line 1 35 3 of Theserails; as in ordinary ccnslt ruc'ticns; are" provided With apertures 3 adapted t6 receive" bolt" members 4' engageable thereth ougn; Forsecuring the rails in' abutting end rela ti'on, 1 provide the similarly shaped? and 0p positely disposedplates 5 having the: Verti=-- callyextending'walls 6' and the lioriz'cntally 1 extendin Walls 7 adapted te-engage the cerrespondingly disposed Walls 8* and 9 6f the rail members: As-app'e'arsfrcrnan ex aminafiion of F ig; 3; these pIate's5haVethe hollowed-out portions 10-in their Vertically" extendin walls and thelieliewed eutgf io'r tions 1 1" in their horizontallyextending wallsfithereby, permitting" said plates to be sprung into close relation withthe "we-11S of the rail, and as is shown in Figs: 1 and 2, these plates are prbvidd? With-an enlarged portion 28 adjacent the abutting ends of tliei" ra'ils land 2 for acldingstrength'theretbl' Rectilinear slots 27 are fdrme'clin' the-begi tuclin'al Walls 0'1 these pl'at'esadjacent each? of the apertures 29 therein which ereedspted to be positioned in alignment; with the bolts 4"and thenuts-13' arep'rovicl'etit These bolts may mount-the washers" l l be'tween the nuts 1 3 and the engaging Walls" Of} the plates st 5 adjacent therete, if desiredi usual construetiensg the nut is polygons-1 For securing the nuts13 on their: bolts 4. against thetendencytolc 'osenl caused by the vibrational forces to- Which said fastening:v

meansare subjected@ I" pro viole the: nut lbc'kmeansgenerally indicated, at 15; Each- 0i v M p p these nut lock means cemp'rises the ncurable Flgure l is a perspective View o-iimy device" e r; 1- e'nst i'u d of ny-su teble il tically extending shoulder portions 21 and 22. As appears in Figs. 1 to 3, this movable member 16 is secured against movement by means of the engagement of shoulders 21 and 22 and wall 23 thereon with walls 2 1, 25 and 26, respectively, formed by the portions of, the plate 5 adj acentvto and within the rectilinear slot or depression 27 formed in said plates 5. In this preferred embodiment, the nuts 13 are shown as having four sides. It is obvious,

however, that my invention would be .oper able and applicable if a polygonal nut of any suitable nature were used.

From the foregoing. description the use and operation of my device are easily und stood, ZTheplates 5 arepositione on the rails, as appears in Figs. 1 and3, with the until the shoulders 21 and 22 and thewall23; thereon engage the walls 24;, 25 and 26 formed in the plates 5;; This operation is easily permitted by the resilient arm 20, which forcibly snaps into this engagement when slid to the proper position. The movable member 16 is then securely mounted inposition within its engaging slot, as appears in Fig. 2, the resilient arm 20 maintaining saidmember'in. this-positionp .Whenit is desiredto remove the coupling from the rails, the arm 20 is raised against its, resilient force by engaging the foremost end 30 thereof with a tool or by means of any suitable nature adapted to pry said arm 20 upwardly relative to the plates 5. When 1n this raised position, the movable member 16 can easily be slidhorizontallyout of'en-- gagement with the nut 13 when the nuts can be disconnected from the bolts and the con I pling plates 5 thus released.

It is thus seen that I have provided a coupling means particularly adapted for use on railroads which will not loosen or get outof I order because of vibrational or other forces exerted thereon and whichis adapted for easy engagement and disengagement with the rails.

Iclaim:,..

1; A coupling means for rail members and the likecomprising a pair of similarly formed and oppositelydisposed plates, fastening means fengageable through said plates and. having polygonal nuts, and nut locks for se:,- curing said nuts against movement, said nut locks being adapted to he slid into engagement with said nuts and to be sprung into locking engagement with said plates.

2. In a coupling for rail members and the like, a pair of similarly formed and oppositely disposed plates for engagement with said rail members having 'rectilinearly formed slots therein, fastening means for securing said plates to said rail having polygonal nuts, and nut lock members adapted to be positionedin said slots to engage one of the walls of said nutsandhaving walls adapted to be s rung into engagement with a wall of said s 0t: and the surface of said plateladjacent 7 said slot wall.

3. I" acoupling for rail members and th like, a paimj s m rly-f e oppositely disposed plate membersapertures"formed in said plate members forthe reception of bolts, rectangularslots f0 med in said plates b e low said apertures,bolts positioned in said apertures, polygonal nuts engageable with said bolts, andnut lock members forsecuring saidnuts against movement-having bgdy portions providing wall s fadapted to engage a wall of said nuts anda wall ofsaid' slots, and

a flexible arm extending fro mfeachiof "said;

body portionsand having walls adapted to engage another wall-of saidslots-an dthe surface of said plates adj acent to said slots.-

4. Ina oouplingforlrailmembers and the like, a pair of similarly formed, oppositely disposed plates having vertically and horizontallyextending walls presenting hollowed out surfaces for engagement .with said rail 7 7 member and having apertures in saidvertical wallsjand rectangularly formedslots insaid horizontal 7 Walls below said apertures, bolts ,engageable'through said apertures,'polygonal T nuts mounted :on,,th e ends of said bolts, and

a nut lock member for securing each of said nuts. agalnst movement comprislng a body portion of rectilinear form having a; -hori-. zontal wall adapted to engage one of the walls a of each of said polygonalnuts and; a vertical walladapted to engage, ajwall of its cooper ating rectangular slotfand a flexible member integral with said body portion extending laterally therefrom. and having a vertical shoulder adapted to; engage a vertical wall of V said slotand a horiz'ontal shoulder adapted to engage the surface of said'plate. adjacentsaid 51 Ina .couplingimeniberor thellilie,simi

larly formed and oppositely disposed plates for engagementwith the rail members having alined apertures and slotsfor the reception of nutandbolt.fasteningrmeans in said aper tures andnut locks in'said slots, bolts-and as-- ing body portions adapted for engagement with the wallsof saidnuts whenpositioned in said slots andlocliing portions extending from said body portions adapted to be. sprung gsooiatedpolygonal nuts engageable'{through 1 said apertures, nut locksin said slots fer engagement with said nuts,- said nutlockshavlike, plates for engaging said rail members having alined apertures and'slots, bolt and nut fastening means extending through said apertures, and nut locks adapted for engage ment with the Walls of said nuts When posi tioned in said slots and for resilient locking engagement With portions of said slot.

7. In a coupling for rail members or the like, a pair of similarly formed, oppositely disposed plates having apertures and slots, bolt and polygonal nut fastening means engageable through said apertures for securing said plates in position and nut locks adapted for positioning in said slots to engage the Walls of said nuts, said nut locks having means for engaging Walls of said slot and to project over the edges of said slots to engage portions of said plates adjacent said slots.

IV' WAGNER. 

